Sunday, September 02, 2007

"Solid", Seaspray and Sleep

After a relaxing day, I am content and feeling positive. We spent our afternoon at the beach, I was able to capture some more cloud movements on 8mm, and I saw Eraserhead for the first time. I spent the day with my favorite person and I was surrounded by the creative!

WATER FROM THE MOUNTAIN

I wasn't feeling up to the early morning. The unfortunate thing is, there was no shooting this morning. That's what I love about being me; I dislike deadlines and so I don't have any! The reality is, there will be and have been those times where an early rise or other sacrifices need to be made. Why do it if you don't have to? The process should be as fun as possible, and considering I get shit for sleep half the time, no matter what time I go to bed; I'm taking the liberty to do as I feel! Fae appreciated the sentiment, too. There is nothing written or set in stone, anywhere that states you have to do anything different than what you decide. Remember, the same basic elements are a part of filmmaking: camera and light. It's the same two principles used by those stuffed shirt industry-types and those of us who still care to dream outside of the box.

SOLID

I wanted to post for those who were involved. Sometimes a film project will take weeks months, years or even decades. I am fairly confident that "Solid" will not take any longer than this next year, but it is a major undertaking and one of great challenge. You have to consider the idea of people, myself in particular, who are working and creating and devoting time to loved ones and trying to relax and stay sane all at the same time. It gets difficult, to say the least. The shoot began orderly and precise, and then it became tougher until eventually, we were a rag tag fugitive fleet of dedicated late-nighters and early risers. I remember leaving work at 4pm in Claremore, piloting the Phoenix to the television studios where Derick worked, and shooting until 9pm with little or no food. You do what you can, when you can. I was filming until the last day in Tulsa. Fae was busy packing and I was wearing a sweater in 105-degree temps in some park in Broken Arrow that they're now bulldozing to make more clone housing. Now in Seattle, I have all the connections to finish the film, I just have to find 'where'. The other thing is continuity. I want this film to be the best it can be. That being said, I have to review all of the makeshift cuts and changes I had to do on the set, and make sure that the script was adhered to. Bret has all of the footage and has to dub the footage and send the footage to me. Then I begin surveying the scenes, see where I'm at, and then deliver detailed notes so he can begin the editing process. Currently, Bret is somewhere in the desert, at Burning Man.

I am excited about "Solid". Considering his schedule, I am uncertain when I will see a rough cut, and, due to the nature of our film shoots, there will be enough ADR to occupy an equal amount of time. Gary will get his hands into it as well, and I will finish the final scenes of the end chapter here. Anything additional will have to be dealt with later in 2008, and may require my flying into Tulsa to meet with some of you, to shoot again!